Cowboys and Angels (George Michael song)

"Cowboys and Angels" is a song written and performed by George Michael and released on Epic Records in 1991. Among other things, the song is notable for being written in waltz time. It became the first single released by Michael to miss the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 45 on release in March 1991.

"Cowboys and Angels"
Single by George Michael
from the album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1
B-side"Something to Save"
Released18 March 1991
GenreJazz
Length7:14
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
George Michael singles chronology
"Heal the Pain"
(1990)		 "Cowboys and Angels"
(1991)		 "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me"
(1991)

The song's lowly sales figures were not a surprise as it was the fifth single to be released from the Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 album. The album was released in the UK on 3 September 1990 and in the US on 11 September 1990; each single had finished lower than its predecessor and "Cowboys and Angels" continued the pattern, although the other four had all reached the threshold of the top 40.

"Cowboys and Angels" was also Michael's longest single to date, at 7 minutes 14 seconds. The saxophone solo is by Andy Hamilton.[1]

In a 2004 interview with Adam Mattera for UK magazine Attitude, Michael revealed the song was about a short-lived love triangle where he was in love with a man while a female friend was in love with him, but none knew of the others' feelings: "She was in love with me because she couldn't get me, and I was in love with him because I couldn't get him... It's a very personal lyric, but it's about the ridiculousness of wanting what you can't have."[2]

Track listing

The single included Something To Save as a b-side. Some releases of the single also included a 4 minute 34-second radio edit of the song, which omitted a 42-second piano intro and an entire verse from the album version.

CD Single
  1. "Cowboys and Angels" – 7:14
  2. "Cowboys and Angels" (Radio Edit) - 4:34
  3. "Something To Save" - 3:18

Charts
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[3] 164
France (SNEP)[4] 36
Ireland (IRMA)[5] 15
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 15
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] 45

References
  1. "Exclusive Interview *Edward Barker*". george-michael-news. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  2. "George Michael's candid 2004 interview with Attitude". Attitude. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  3. "Response from ARIA re: chart inquiry, received May 29, 2015". imgur.com. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  4. "Lescharts.com – George Michael – Cowboys and Angels" (in French). Les classement single.
  5. The Irish Charts Archived 2009-06-02 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  6. "Nederlandse Top 40 – George Michael" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  7. Top 75 Releases. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
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